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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 · wound · kid · face · current · pit · date · tube

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. land — a country
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wound — an injury
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. current — of water
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — electric
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pit — in a race
  14. tube — a container
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. land — to come down
  17. current — happening now
  18. pit — a hole
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. face — to confront
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tube — the underground

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