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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — an aim
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — a trail
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. object — to protest
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chest — a box
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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