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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: wound · band · date · temple · mouse · firm · wake · drill

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. firm — steady
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — the tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. band — a music group
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. date — the fruit

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