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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 · wound · bulb · object · last · club · can

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. object — an aim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. date — the fruit
  7. object — to protest
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. band — a music group
  12. club — a group
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. club — for dancing
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — final
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — to be able to
  24. club — for golf

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