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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — for golf
  12. face — to confront
  13. object — to protest
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hand — help
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. club — for dancing
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. hand — in cards

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