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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. can — a tin
  18. date — the fruit
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a ring
  24. cell — a phone

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