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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: leaves · date · rule · jam · shower · present · wind · trunk

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — the time now
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wind — moving air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — a gift
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rule — a law
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. date — the fruit
  23. present — there
  24. rule — government

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