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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.

Make a worksheet

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: trunk · date · prune · tube · kid · fan · leaves · stand

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stand — to bear

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