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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 wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. object — a thing
  6. prune — to trim
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. date — the fruit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. object — an aim
  12. row — a line
  13. kid — child
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. row — to paddle
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pass — a permit
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. object — to protest
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — to tease

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