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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: file · chip · ground · date · lash · cap · mine · band

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ground — the earth
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mine — for digging
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — of ice
  17. file — a document
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chip — for betting
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cap — a lid
  24. file — a tool

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