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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mark — a trace
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. swing — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — in golf
  21. branch — a division
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. branch — of a bank

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