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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: track · face · bulb · rest · arm · capital · band · date

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. track — a song
  4. band — a music group
  5. capital — money
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bulb — for light
  11. face — to point toward
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. date — the fruit
  15. rest — a break
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. band — a ring
  19. rest — what's left
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. track — a path
  24. capital — a city

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