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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · tear · pit · date · saw · last · pop · mine

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. date — the fruit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — final
  5. pit — in a race
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. last — finally
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pop — music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. band — a ring
  22. pop — to visit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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