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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: fall · trunk · wave · hand · pound · mug · march · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — to drop
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mug — a face
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. date — the fruit
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pound — a weight
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — help
  24. mug — to rob

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