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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: kid · mine · cell · bay · plane · mug · board · date

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mug — a cup
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mug — a face
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. board — to get on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cell — in biology
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. board — a committee
  24. kid — child

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