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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. last — finally
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. date — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tear — to rip
  11. last — to go on
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — final

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