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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. swing — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — certain
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rash — a series
  15. bound — tied together
  16. branch — a division
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — in golf
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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