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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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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: track · bore · row · march · chair · date · band · tube

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. march — music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. band — a music group
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. track — a song
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tube — a container
  10. track — a path
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — the month
  14. track — to keep track
  15. row — a line
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chair — to sit on

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