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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: band · date · swing · bowl · mine · foot · land · cabinet

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. date — the fruit
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. land — ground
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — to play on
  7. land — to come down
  8. band — a music group
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — in golf
  11. foot — a measure
  12. swing — music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. band — a ring
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mine — an explosive

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