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

Word bank: lean · fork · pit · rest · date · fan · prune · wound

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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 — on the calendar
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lean — to bend
  4. prune — to trim
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rest — a break
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. date — the fruit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — thin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pit — a hole
  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