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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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468
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: sharp · date · fall · wound · band · racket · kick · scale

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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 rubber band
  3. scale — in music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kick — in football
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — size or range
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wound — an injury
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fall — the season
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. band — a music group
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. band — a ring
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — with a leg

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