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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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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: cabinet · wake · root · lie · date · field · chip · cold

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — to eat
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — a trail
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lie — to recline
  13. root — the cause
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — for betting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a word
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — farmland

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