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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — the fruit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mark — a trace
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. key — in music
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wake — a trail
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kick — with a leg

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