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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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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: ruler · land · stand · bay · board · date · prune · chest

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chest — of your body
  3. land — ground
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. chest — of your body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. board — to get on
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chest — a box
  13. land — to come down
  14. board — a committee
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stand — to bear
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stand — on your feet

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