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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
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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: saw · wake · mate · suit · date · tear · mine · court

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mine — for digging
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wake — a trail
  5. suit — clothes
  6. court — for sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. saw — the tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tear — to rip
  14. court — of a king
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mate — to breed
  21. suit — to fit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — of law
  24. date — on the calendar

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