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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: saw · trunk · march · arm · jam · last · date · cabinet

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. date — the fruit
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — final
  9. march — the month
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. march — music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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