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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · date · content · field · wake · hide · toast · tube

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. land — to come down
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — for sport
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wake — a trail
  13. content — happy
  14. tube — a container
  15. field — farmland
  16. content — the amount
  17. field — a subject
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. toast — bread
  21. land — ground
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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