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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. row — to paddle
  4. saw — the tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. date — the fruit
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bear — the animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. plane — a tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. row — a line
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bear — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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