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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
468
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: cold · bank · hide · ball · stick · trunk · date · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bank — for money
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — not warm
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bank — for money
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bank — of a river

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