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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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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: band · season · straw · pound · stick · date · cell · bore

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. band — a ring
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. band — a music group
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — a weight
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — to tire
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pound — to hit hard

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