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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. face — to confront
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. face — to point toward
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bank — for money
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. rash — a series
  19. clip — a video
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bank — of a river
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. clip — for paper

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