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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — a weight
  4. kick — in football
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. season — in sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bound — certain
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. band — a ring
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a music group
  23. season — of the year
  24. kick — with a leg

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