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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: arm · lean · race · straw · plane · date · present · net

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. plane — a tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. net — after costs
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. net — in sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. present — there
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — a contest
  22. lean — to bend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. plane — an aircraft

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