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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. snap — to click
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ball — a dance
  8. root — the cause
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — of a word
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. root — of a plant
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. fork — a garden 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