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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. present — a gift
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. vault — a safe
  6. present — there
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bank — for money
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wake — a trail

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