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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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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: trunk · jam · date · hide · tear · lash · fork · land

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — to come down
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. land — a country
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — ground
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hide — animal skin

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