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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. band — a ring
  4. chip — to eat
  5. date — the fruit
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rock — music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spell — letters
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — a stone
  23. spell — magic
  24. calf — a young animal

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