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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: date · file · land · roll · nail · rule · drill · bear

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — to come down
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rule — government
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. file — a document
  16. land — a country
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rule — a law
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — a list
  24. land — ground

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