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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · land · present · mark · bulb · date · hide · calf

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. present — a gift
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. land — to come down
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. land — ground
  12. bulb — for light
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. present — the time now
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. present — there
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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