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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: field · pit · trunk · file · pop · prune · cabinet · date

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — for sport
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pop — to visit
  14. field — a subject
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — soda
  18. prune — to trim
  19. file — a document
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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