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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — the fruit
  3. tube — a container
  4. pop — soda
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to confront
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pop — music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. season — of the year
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tube — the underground
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. prune — to trim

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