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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: firm · present · mine · cabinet · date · wind · squash · plane

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. present — there
  5. firm — decided
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. plane — a tool
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. firm — steady
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. firm — a company
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cabinet — ministers

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