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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. firm — decided
  5. branch — a division
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — army training
  8. capital — a city
  9. drill — the tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. band — a ring
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. capital — money
  16. firm — steady
  17. date — the fruit
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. drill — a practice
  20. firm — a company
  21. can — a tin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. can — to be able to

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