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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: date · bore · trunk · jam · ground · march · calf · stick

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. march — the month
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bore — to tire
  8. march — music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. jam — a tight spot

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