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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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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 · key · band · leaves · lie · snap · wound · trunk

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wound — an injury
  3. date — the fruit
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — for a lock
  16. snap — to click
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. key — in music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. band — a ring
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — on the calendar

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