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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: racket · tear · hide · trunk · bowl · wax · date · cap

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — a lid
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tear — from crying
  23. date — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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