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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. land — a country
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — to come down
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — to tire
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. can — to be able to
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. season — in sport

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