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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: lean · cabinet · bay · roll · date · track · fork · band

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lean — thin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a ring
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. track — a song
  17. roll — a list
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. band — a music group
  21. fork — in a road
  22. track — a path
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. fork — to eat with

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