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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. suit — to fit
  6. key — in music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. suit — in cards
  10. key — for a lock
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. band — a music group
  19. suit — clothes
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. band — a ring
  24. prune — to trim

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