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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: pound · roll · leaves · swing · shower · key · band · date

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — music
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. band — a ring
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. swing — to play on
  11. date — the fruit
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. swing — in golf
  19. roll — a list
  20. pound — a weight
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. key — the most important part
  24. shower — to wash

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