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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: clip · bear · hand · rash · staff · date · track · plane

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — a series
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. clip — for paper
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. staff — employees
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rash — hasty
  19. clip — a video
  20. hand — help
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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