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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: date · band · calf · bulb · march · bank · face · wake

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — for money
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — to point toward
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bank — for money
  15. face — to confront
  16. band — a music group
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. wake — a trail
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — of a river
  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