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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: rock · wound · bank · nail · land · date · cap · scale

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. land — a country
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — to come down
  6. rock — music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bank — for money
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. scale — size or range
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bank — for money
  22. land — ground
  23. scale — in music
  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