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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: plane · row · ruler · track · spring · land · date · chip

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. chip — to eat
  3. row — to paddle
  4. date — the fruit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spring — the season
  7. track — a song
  8. row — a line
  9. land — to come down
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. track — to keep track
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. plane — a tool
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. track — a path
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spring — of water
  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