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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. field — for sport
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pop — to visit
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — a subject
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. land — ground
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pop — soda
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — to come down
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rush — hurry
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pop — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. land — a country
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — rain
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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