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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. clip — to cut
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. clip — for paper
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — a division
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. saw — the tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. foot — a measure

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