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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. land — ground
  6. key — in music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — for sport
  14. key — the most important part
  15. field — farmland
  16. land — a country
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. foot — a measure
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rule — government
  24. date — on the calendar

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