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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: land · march · trunk · cabinet · rock · saw · date · net

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — to come down
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. march — music
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rock — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. net — after costs
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. land — ground
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. land — a country

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