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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spring — the season
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stem — to come from
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. date — the fruit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. roll — a list
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. field — farmland
  17. craft — boats
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. spring — a coil
  20. craft — a skill
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — of water
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal 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