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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. club — for golf
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. club — for dancing
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. club — a group
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stand — on your feet

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