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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: pit · date · bark · safe · coach · race · clip · trunk

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Hold the papers together 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. trunk — of an elephant
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. clip — a video
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. date — the fruit
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pit — in a race
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. race — humankind
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — for paper

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