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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: bark · track · date · present · bear · cold · cabinet · toast

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. date — the fruit
  3. present — a gift
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. present — the time now
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. present — there
  17. track — a path
  18. toast — bread
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bear — to put up with

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