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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — tied together
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. date — the fruit
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pop — to visit
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bat — the animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. race — a contest
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. snap — to click
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pop — soda
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. race — humankind
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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