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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: track · last · date · mug · branch · band · scale · snap

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. track — a song
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. scale — in music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. branch — a division
  11. last — final
  12. band — a ring
  13. snap — to click
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. band — a music group
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mug — to rob
  21. track — a path
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. branch — of a bank

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