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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. content — the amount
  10. cell — a phone
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — to drill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — final
  17. content — happy
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — finally
  24. coach — a trainer

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