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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: date · trunk · stem · bark · jam · bay · pass · fall

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stem — to come from
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pass — a permit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. stem — a stem cell

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