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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: net · plane · leaves · wound · date · nail · cabinet · court

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — for sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — in sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. net — after costs
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. net — for catching
  21. date — the fruit
  22. court — of law
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — on the calendar

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