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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · dip · roll · plane · tear · hide · squash · net

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. roll — a cake
  6. squash — the sport
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. roll — a list
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — to crush
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — after costs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — in sport

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