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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: object · rock · date · content · mine · calf · saw · current

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — of water
  5. content — happy
  6. saw — the tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rock — music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. current — electric
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. current — happening now
  17. object — an aim
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. content — the amount
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. object — a thing
  24. date — the fruit

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