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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rash — hasty
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rash — a series
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. date — the fruit

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