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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. date — the fruit
  7. spring — the season
  8. can — to be able to
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — a tin
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — rain
  15. march — music
  16. spring — of water
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. can — a tin
  24. trunk — of a car

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