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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — tied together
  7. date — the fruit
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a music group
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. branch — a division
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. band — a ring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. object — to protest
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. temple — side of the head

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