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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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 music group
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. board — a committee
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. branch — a division
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. staff — employees
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. date — the fruit
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. board — to get on
  24. branch — of a tree

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