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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: scale · date · mate · safe · bore · land · net · bark

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bark — to shout
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. land — ground
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — size or range
  9. land — to come down
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — a country
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — to breed
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bore — to tire
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — a partner
  19. net — for catching
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. scale — in music

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