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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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. object — to protest
  3. wake — a trail
  4. object — an aim
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — rain
  9. clip — for paper
  10. object — a thing
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bear — the animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. clip — to cut
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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