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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · bore · clip · band · rest · date · fine · mug

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fine — all right
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. face — to confront
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mug — a face
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mug — a cup
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fine — high quality
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rest — a break
  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