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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. drill — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stand — to bear
  13. drill — army training
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. date — the fruit
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lie — to recline
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a document
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. file — a tool

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