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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. branch — a division
  6. bore — to tire
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. kid — child
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. scale — size or range
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. key — in music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. key — for a lock

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