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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pass — a permit
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. capital — a city
  19. tear — from crying
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. date — on the calendar

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