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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · leaves · craft · bat · file · game · deal · bank

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bat — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. file — a line of people
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — wild animals
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. file — a tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. date — the fruit
  19. file — a document
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bank — of a river

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