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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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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: mark · date · staff · band · stock · plane · march · rule

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. band — a music group
  3. stock — goods
  4. rule — government
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. staff — a stick
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. plane — a tool

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