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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: toast · plane · hide · pass · wave · cell · date · band

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. toast — bread
  6. band — a music group
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. band — a ring
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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