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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: jam · kid · bark · ground · cue · date · vault · band

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  3. kid — to tease
  4. date — the fruit
  5. vault — a safe
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. band — a music group
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cue — a hint
  17. ground — the earth
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. band — a ring
  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