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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to confront
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. face — to point toward
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pop — soda
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — part of the head
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pop — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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