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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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — to crush
  8. date — the fruit
  9. capital — a city
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bound — certain
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — obliged
  19. prune — to trim
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rush — hurry
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — money
  24. temple — a place of worship

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