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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. date — the fruit
  3. track — a path
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — the season
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a document
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to tire
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a tool
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. track — a song
  24. file — a line of people

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