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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 · plane · spell · bark · bore · lie · scale · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spell — letters
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spell — a short time
  7. land — a country
  8. bore — to drill
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — ground
  12. date — the fruit
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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