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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: last · prune · trunk · drill · track · bulb · can · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. can — a tin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — finally
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. last — to go on
  16. can — to be able to
  17. prune — to trim
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. date — the fruit
  20. last — final
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. drill — army training

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