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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: march · bank · date · land · leaves · mine · pit · mug

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. land — to come down
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pit — a hole
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. land — a country
  19. mine — for digging
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. march — music
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. march — the month

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