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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
468
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: craft · plane · date · fork · content · rock · charge · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. content — happy
  3. rock — a stone
  4. charge — a price
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. craft — boats
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. charge — electricity
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. charge — in control
  11. land — ground
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. content — the amount
  17. rock — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. land — to come down
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. craft — a skill

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