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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pop — to visit
  3. land — to come down
  4. suit — clothes
  5. band — a ring
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. suit — in cards
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a music group
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. suit — to fit
  18. land — ground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mug — to rob
  22. land — a country
  23. prune — the fruit
  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