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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: land · mate · game · lean · date · fan · root · object

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. land — ground
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. object — a thing
  11. land — a country
  12. mate — a partner
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — the cause
  17. game — a match
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mate — to breed
  20. object — to protest
  21. root — of a plant
  22. land — to come down
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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