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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: clip · lean · bore · object · band · fine · date · field

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. object — a thing
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lean — thin
  5. bore — to drill
  6. band — a music group
  7. lean — to bend
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fine — high quality
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. band — a ring
  13. object — an aim
  14. fine — all right
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. field — a subject
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — farmland
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. object — to protest
  23. field — for sport
  24. bore — to tire

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