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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: dip · leaves · wound · date · march · chest · bound · firm

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — obliged
  12. firm — steady
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. firm — a company
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. firm — decided
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bound — certain
  22. dip — to sink
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chest — a box

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