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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · land · fan · date · pop · lash · mate · tube

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — ground
  4. pop — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. date — the fruit
  7. land — a country
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pop — soda
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. land — to come down
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mate — a friend

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