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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: band · bulb · club · safe · foot · date · content · straw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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 ring
  3. content — the amount
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bulb — for light
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. club — for golf
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. band — a music group
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. club — for dancing
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — a measure
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. date — the fruit

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