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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. band — a ring
  3. bore — to drill
  4. band — a music group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. club — for golf
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. club — a group
  20. pitch — completely
  21. date — the fruit
  22. branch — a division
  23. bore — to tire
  24. band — a rubber band

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