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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spell — a short time
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. date — the fruit
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tube — a container
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — rain
  15. branch — a division
  16. shower — to wash
  17. tube — the underground
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spell — letters
  22. bound — obliged
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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