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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mug — a cup
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tube — the underground
  5. land — to come down
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. track — to keep track
  8. land — ground
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. track — a song
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — a country
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. can — a tin
  20. mug — a face
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. bark — to shout

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