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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ball — a great time
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. craft — a skill
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spring — a coil
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ball — a dance
  17. scale — size or range
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fork — in a road
  20. craft — boats
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — for digging
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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