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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. spring — the season
  7. field — for sport
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — a series
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stand — to bear
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — hasty
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitcher — a jug

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