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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cell — in biology
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. craft — a skill
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — boats
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wake — a trail

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