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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 · object · mate · face · roll · prune · date · leaves

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. face — to confront
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. roll — a cake
  8. object — an aim
  9. mate — to breed
  10. object — a thing
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. object — to protest
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pit — in a race
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pit — a hole
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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