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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: bank · date · band · can · scale · straw · spell · bass

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. date — the fruit
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. scale — in music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bass — low music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. bank — of a river
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a music group
  20. spell — magic
  21. scale — size or range
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — letters
  24. bank — for money

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