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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — for dancing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — for digging
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wind — moving air

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