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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: band · chip · pitcher · wound · face · date · lie · current

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wound — an injury
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — for betting
  12. face — part of the head
  13. band — a ring
  14. wound — an injury
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. face — to confront
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — of water
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chip — to eat
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chip — in a computer

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