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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 · date · land · field · ruler · pitcher · plane · rest

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mine — for digging
  3. field — for sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. field — farmland
  12. land — a country
  13. field — a subject
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. land — ground
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rest — what's left
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — to come down
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. date — on the calendar

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