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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: firm · date · tear · can · pop · chest · trunk · cap

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — the fruit
  3. firm — decided
  4. tear — from crying
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pop — soda
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pop — to visit
  16. can — a tin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chest — a box
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. firm — a company
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cap — of ice
  24. firm — steady

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