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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: key · saw · wave · field · race · rock · cabinet · date

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. race — humankind
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. date — the fruit
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — farmland
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. race — a contest
  21. key — the most important part
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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