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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 · trunk · stand · tear · mate · dip · wake · craft

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. craft — a skill
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mate — a partner
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wake — a trail
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. dip — to sink
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. craft — boats

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