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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: fork · date · land · kick · ruler · spring · current · arm

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — the season
  3. current — of water
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. current — electric
  6. spring — of water
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. date — the fruit
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — happening now
  17. spring — a coil
  18. land — a country
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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