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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: pitcher · date · track · craft · march · mug · snap · band

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. track — a song
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. band — a music group
  12. date — the fruit
  13. march — music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. track — to keep track
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a cup
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. craft — a skill
  20. track — a path
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. craft — boats
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. band — a ring

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