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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · date · roll · craft · cap · tube · trunk · racket

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. craft — a skill
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. craft — boats
  9. cap — a lid
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cap — of ice
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — to drill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. tube — the underground
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cap — a hat
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. roll — a cake
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. roll — a list
  24. tube — a container

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