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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: board · date · foot · pass · trunk · cold · bank · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kid — to tease
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pass — a permit
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bank — for money
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cold — an illness
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cold — not warm
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — a committee
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bank — for money

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