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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: perch · bear · wound · date · snap · bay · ground · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. date — the fruit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a music group
  18. ground — a position
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. snap — to click
  21. wound — an injury
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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