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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: kid · plane · date · band · march · sharp · pass · wound

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — a tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. band — a ring
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. march — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. pass — to spend time

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