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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: bowl · root · bay · club · trunk · arm · date · saw

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. club — for golf
  9. root — the cause
  10. club — a group
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. saw — the tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — the tool

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