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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. land — ground
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — to come down
  8. last — finally
  9. branch — a division
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bass — low music
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. land — a country
  21. last — final
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pitch — a sports field

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