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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: saw · trunk · mate · bowl · row · nail · date · cap

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cap — of ice
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. saw — the tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. row — a line
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cap — a lid
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mate — to breed

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