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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 · craft · spell · bound · band · chest · bark · pass

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bound — obliged
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — letters
  9. chest — a box
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pass — a permit
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bark — to shout
  14. spell — a short time
  15. craft — boats
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spell — magic
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a music group
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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