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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: date · vault · band · cap · bay · plane · spell · present

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. present — a gift
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. vault — a safe
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cap — of ice
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. present — the time now
  14. date — the fruit
  15. spell — letters
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a music group
  19. spell — magic
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cap — a lid
  22. present — there
  23. band — a ring
  24. bay — a horse colour

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