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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 a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spell — letters
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — in a race
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. staff — employees
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — a short time
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — to trim
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — magic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lean — thin
  24. coach — a trainer

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