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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 shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pass — a permit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. tube — a container
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rash — hasty
  20. foot — a measure
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rash — a series
  24. foot — the bottom

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