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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 · trunk · bat · jam · mine · suit · stem · date

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. suit — to fit
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. suit — in cards
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. date — the fruit
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. suit — clothes

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