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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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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: kid · fine · dip · ruler · tear · date · swing · trunk

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. swing — music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. kid — to tease
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. dip — to sink
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fine — all right
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. kid — child
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fine — high quality
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. trunk — of a tree

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