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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 a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — there
  5. net — in sport
  6. pop — music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. present — the time now
  9. pop — to visit
  10. root — of a word
  11. prune — to trim
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — soda
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — to trim
  23. present — a gift
  24. mine — an explosive

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