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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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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 · tube · fork · nail · bay · date · last · rest

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. last — finally
  4. land — a country
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. land — to come down
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fork — in a road
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — ground
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. last — to go on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — final
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. tube — in a tire
  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