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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: tube · lie · dip · can · safe · march · ground · date

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tube — a container
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — a position
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. dip — to sink
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. can — to be able to
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. date — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — the underground

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