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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. date — the fruit
  3. last — finally
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. squash — the sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. last — to go on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. prune — to trim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — final
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rush — to hurry

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