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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — a list
  5. wound — an injury
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. date — the fruit
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fan — to cool the air

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