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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 · toast · nail · perch · date · jam · chest · suit

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. date — the fruit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chest — a box
  21. bark — to shout
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. perch — for a bird

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