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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: date · firm · staff · wind · roll · march · trunk · drill

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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 a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. march — the month
  5. roll — a cake
  6. date — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. staff — employees
  11. roll — a list
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. drill — a practice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. drill — army training
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — steady
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — a stick
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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