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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: band · drill · last · stick · pound · mouse · date · lash

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a music group
  4. pound — a weight
  5. band — a ring
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. last — final
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mouse — for a computer

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