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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: kid · pop · kick · date · bear · trunk · sharp · drill

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bear — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. drill — army training
  13. date — the fruit
  14. kid — child
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pop — music
  22. kick — in football
  23. pop — to visit
  24. sharp — clever

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