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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: season · club · date · root · band · stand · roll · ball

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. roll — a cake
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — in sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. club — a group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. club — for dancing
  13. band — a ring
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a dance
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. season — of the year
  23. roll — a list
  24. stand — for spectators

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