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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — electric
  4. squash — to crush
  5. track — a song
  6. bank — for money
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. track — to keep track
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — music
  14. bank — of a river
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bank — for money
  18. current — of water
  19. band — a music group
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. current — happening now
  22. track — a path
  23. march — the month
  24. squash — the sport

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