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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · mine · fine · lean · date · wave · pass · spell

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. game — a match
  5. spell — letters
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. date — the fruit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. spell — magic
  18. fine — all right
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lean — thin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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