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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: bank · mate · date · bulb · stand · hide · trunk · swing

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — to breed
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mate — a friend
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bank — for money
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. date — the fruit
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mate — a partner
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bank — for money
  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