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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: date · trunk · land · suit · lean · squash · bat · staff

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lean — thin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. suit — in cards
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. staff — a stick
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lean — to bend
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — to crush

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