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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: band · bank · bass · pop · wound · date · pit · rule

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. band — a ring
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — the fish
  11. band — a music group
  12. rule — government
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — soda
  15. bass — low music
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bank — of a river
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pit — in a race
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bank — for money
  24. rule — a law

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