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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. toast — bread
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — hurry
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stand — to bear
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spell — a short time
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bat — for baseball

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