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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: present · date · branch · scale · sharp · chair · pound · band

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. band — a ring
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. present — the time now
  7. scale — in music
  8. present — there
  9. date — the fruit
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. chair — a leader
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. sharp — clever
  19. band — a music group
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. sharp — exactly
  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