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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — ground
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. can — a tin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. can — a tin
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. date — the fruit
  13. land — to come down
  14. staff — a stick
  15. roll — a cake
  16. land — a country
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. roll — a list
  20. can — to be able to
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wake — a trail

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