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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: nail · wake · present · root · date · lean · bank · rest

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. present — a gift
  7. rest — a break
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. present — the time now
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — of a word
  20. lean — to bend
  21. root — the cause
  22. date — the fruit
  23. root — of a plant
  24. lean — thin

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