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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — to go on
  5. date — the fruit
  6. drill — a practice
  7. last — final
  8. hand — help
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bank — for money
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — the tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. hand — in cards
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — finally
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bound — certain

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