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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: jam · ground · trunk · can · chest · cap · dip · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ground — a position
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cap — a hat
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ground — the earth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chest — a box
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ground — crushed
  21. can — a tin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. dip — to sink

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