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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 · snap · lie · pit · calf · row · plane · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a ring
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — in a race
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to click
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. date — the fruit
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. plane — in geometry

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