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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — of water
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. craft — boats
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. scale — in music
  11. craft — a skill
  12. spring — a coil
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — the season
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — a path
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. date — the fruit

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