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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: spell · last · date · leaves · season · band · plane · wave

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a ring
  3. last — finally
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. last — final
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. date — the fruit
  14. season — in sport
  15. plane — a tool
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — letters
  24. leaves — to go away

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