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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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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: band · stick · pitcher · capital · wind · ruler · perch · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. perch — the fish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. band — a ring
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ruler — a monarch

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