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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. spring — the season
  3. rash — hasty
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rash — a series
  11. craft — boats
  12. tube — a container
  13. craft — a skill
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ground — a position
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spring — of water
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — a friend

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