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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: rush · scale · swing · prune · bound · coach · date · face

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. face — to point toward
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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