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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: bank · craft · date · wax · racket · land · rest · bat

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bank — for money
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — boats
  10. wax — to grow
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bank — of a river
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — a skill
  17. land — a country
  18. bank — for money
  19. date — the fruit
  20. rest — a break
  21. bat — the animal
  22. land — to come down
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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