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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — boats
  8. band — a music group
  9. prune — to trim
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fine — all right
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. track — a path
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. date — the fruit
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. track — a song
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. craft — a handicraft

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