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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chest — a box
  4. date — the fruit
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chest — of your body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — a coil
  12. last — to go on
  13. present — there
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. last — finally
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. last — final
  20. present — a gift
  21. bulb — for light
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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