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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — a series
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — rain
  18. stock — shares
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — on the skin

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