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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 · present · plane · bowl · file · tear · craft · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. date — the fruit
  5. plane — a tool
  6. present — the time now
  7. tear — from crying
  8. present — a gift
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. file — a line of people
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. tear — to rip
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — there
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bowl — a football final

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