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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fork — in a road
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — the animal

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