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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rest — a break
  3. firm — a company
  4. degree — from a university
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. firm — steady
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. firm — decided
  24. snap — to click

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