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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 · band · stock · mate · track · lash · squash · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — goods
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. squash — the sport
  6. track — a song
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — a path
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. band — a music group
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stock — shares

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