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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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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: wind · trunk · date · prune · bank · jam · content · drill

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bank — for money
  8. content — happy
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bank — for money
  11. drill — army training
  12. content — the amount
  13. bank — of a river
  14. prune — to trim
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. date — the fruit
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wind — moving air

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