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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: date · lean · chip · band · branch · court · shower · mate

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lean — thin
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. chip — to eat
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chip — for betting
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lean — to bend
  16. band — a ring
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — of a king
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. band — a music group
  24. court — of law

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