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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: mine · plane · lash · drill · last · field · fine · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. field — for sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. last — to go on
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. plane — a tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — farmland
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. last — final
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. last — finally
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. drill — a practice

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