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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 just a dried plum.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. pitch — completely
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — the sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. date — the fruit
  17. squash — to crush
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. dip — to sink
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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