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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. spring — the season
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — obliged
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bound — certain
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. spring — of water
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rock — music

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