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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 · plane · foot · bulb · field · key · date · rock

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rock — music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — the most important part
  6. foot — a measure
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. land — a country
  13. rock — a stone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. land — ground
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bulb — for light
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. field — farmland
  22. land — to come down
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rock — to move gently

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