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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: mouse · wake · mine · firm · foot · trunk · cold · date

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. firm — a company
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. firm — decided
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cold — an illness
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mine — for digging

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