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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. toast — bread
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rock — music
  15. file — a tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rock — a stone
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. file — a document

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