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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a ring
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a music group
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the fish
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bank — for money
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a document
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bass — low music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. file — a tool

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