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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: date · staff · trunk · bore · pop · leaves · pit · branch

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pop — to visit
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. date — the fruit
  6. staff — a stick
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to drill
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — a division
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pop — soda
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bore — to tire
  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