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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: snap · date · board · land · rock · tube · present · wind

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. present — there
  3. snap — to click
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. present — a gift
  6. land — to come down
  7. board — a committee
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. board — to get on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — the time now
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. land — a country
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rock — 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