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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: bark · bass · mate · date · bat · pound · object · trunk

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mate — a partner
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. date — the fruit
  17. object — to protest
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. object — an aim
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mate — to breed
  24. object — a thing

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