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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. snap — to click
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stem — to come from
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. club — for golf
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — a group
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spring — the season

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