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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. prune — to trim
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — help
  19. field — for sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — to drill

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