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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · capital · mine · date · cabinet · plane · rash · root

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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 — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. root — of a word
  9. plane — a tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rash — a series
  14. capital — a city
  15. rash — hasty
  16. content — the amount
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. capital — money
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. root — the cause
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. root — of a plant
  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