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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: date · mug · bark · mate · kid · pitcher · band · trunk

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kid — child
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. band — a ring
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mug — to rob
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mug — a face
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — to tease
  24. band — a music group

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