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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. charge — in control
  8. date — the fruit
  9. charge — a price
  10. field — for sport
  11. content — the amount
  12. scale — size or range
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. band — a music group
  15. field — farmland
  16. band — a ring
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. scale — in music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. charge — electricity
  24. date — on the calendar

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