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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: bore · plane · calf · land · band · cabinet · wind · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — a country
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. band — a ring
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — ground
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. band — a music group
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bore — to tire
  24. plane — in geometry

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