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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. prune — to trim
  6. date — the fruit
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. scale — in music
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — for golf
  24. rush — a thrill

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