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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: fan · file · spell · net · arm · bound · date · ground

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. file — a line of people
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — certain
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a document
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spell — a short time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — a position
  19. file — a tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spell — letters
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spell — magic

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