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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: present · trunk · dip · clip · racket · wound · date · drill

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. drill — a practice
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. present — the time now
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — army training
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. present — a gift
  13. drill — the tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. dip — to sink
  17. clip — a video
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. present — there
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. date — on the calendar

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