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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · chair · wave · leaves · game · prune · date · bark

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. prune — to trim
  14. game — a match
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pit — in a race

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