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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: clip · trunk · bore · chair · leaves · bowl · mate · date

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chair — a leader
  3. date — the fruit
  4. clip — a video
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mate — a partner
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bore — to drill
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mate — a friend

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