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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — in music
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rash — hasty
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — a signal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rash — a series
  18. key — the most important part
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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