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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: prune · land · bound · chest · date · can · hide · fan

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — ground
  5. can — a tin
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. can — a tin
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — a country
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. can — to be able to
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chest — a box
  24. land — to come down

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