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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bound — tied together
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. squash — to crush
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. squash — the sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. perch — for a bird

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