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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bank — for money
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cold — an illness
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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