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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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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: date · last · leaves · roll · bear · mine · straw · face

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — finally
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. roll — a cake
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mine — for digging
  10. last — to go on
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bear — the animal
  15. last — final
  16. roll — a list
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bear — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. date — the fruit
  24. face — to confront

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