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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: lie · cell · chip · mate · date · trunk · rock · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — the fruit
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rock — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chip — for betting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. season — of the year
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in a prison

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