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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. date — the fruit
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — for sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — a subject
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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