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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. band — a music group
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mug — a face
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mug — to rob
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mug — a cup
  17. can — a tin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a ring
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wind — moving air

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