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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
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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: saw · can · cabinet · foot · spring · date · land · rash

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. land — to come down
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — a series
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. spring — the season
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — a coil
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. saw — the tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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