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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. band — a ring
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. band — a music group
  5. track — a song
  6. tube — a container
  7. kick — in football
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cap — of ice
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ground — crushed
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ground — the earth
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tube — the underground
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. track — a path
  24. ground — a position

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