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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. date — the fruit
  16. drill — army training
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — final

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