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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: mine · cabinet · date · tear · fine · track · wake · land

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. track — a path
  4. mine — for digging
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fine — all right
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. land — to come down
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. track — a song
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wake — a trail
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. fine — high quality
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cabinet — ministers

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