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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. row — a line
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. content — happy
  14. board — to get on
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. board — a committee
  18. row — to paddle
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bay — a horse colour

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