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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — to crush
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. staff — employees
  8. tube — the underground
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tube — a container
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. staff — employees
  16. dip — to sink
  17. squash — the sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. deal — to handle
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — in a tire

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