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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: cabinet · foot · stock · board · pitcher · leaves · wake · date

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — a measure
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — shares
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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