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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: mouse · calf · trunk · fine · pitcher · date · land · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — a practice
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — to come down
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. date — the fruit
  13. land — a country
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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