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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. charge — in control
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. spring — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. spring — the season
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. plane — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spring — a coil
  22. charge — electricity
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. charge — a price

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