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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hand — in cards
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bat — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. leaves — lets stay

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