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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pound — a weight
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — completely
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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