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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: date · last · lie · band · fork · cell · press · bark

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. band — a music group
  5. press — to push
  6. bark — to shout
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. last — finally
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a ring
  20. last — final
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lie — to recline
  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