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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: tube · present · fork · arm · march · date · charge · leaves

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tube — the underground
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — a gift
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. charge — electricity
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. date — the fruit
  17. tube — a container
  18. charge — in control
  19. march — the month
  20. present — the time now
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. present — there
  23. charge — a price
  24. leaves — of a tree

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