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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. band — a ring
  4. toast — bread
  5. band — a music group
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. date — the fruit
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bank — for money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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