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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. can — a tin
  5. bank — of a river
  6. band — a music group
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. band — a ring
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — a tin
  12. bank — for money
  13. wax — to grow
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — for sport
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. can — to be able to
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. file — a document
  20. last — finally
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — final

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