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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · mine · cue · trunk · date · staff · spring · stem

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. staff — employees
  4. cue — a signal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. date — the fruit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — a hint
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stem — to come from
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bore — to tire
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cue — for pool
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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