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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. band — a music group
  4. race — a contest
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. file — a line of people
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a document
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bound — obliged
  19. band — a ring
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — a division

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