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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: roll · dip · file · plane · stock · row · bear · date

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stock — shares
  14. file — a line of people
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. dip — to sink
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. file — a document
  22. roll — a list
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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