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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: date · toast · present · spring · field · stick · chip · bank

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. field — farmland
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spring — of water
  6. present — the time now
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. field — for sport
  9. date — the fruit
  10. present — there
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — a subject
  14. present — a gift
  15. spring — the season
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bank — of a river
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bank — for money
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. toast — bread

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