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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. dip — to sink
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — hasty
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — an injury

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