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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 · mate · fall · trunk · capital · lie · mouse · file

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mate — a friend
  3. file — a tool
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fall — the season
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. capital — money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — a partner
  23. capital — a city
  24. file — a document

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