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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — the animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a music group
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. prune — the fruit

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