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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · roll · bass · spring · mug · bear · cap · squash

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bass — low music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mug — a face
  9. cap — a lid
  10. roll — a list
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com