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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: rash · scale · pit · bass · date · chip · prune · shower

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rash — hasty
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bass — low music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. scale — in music
  14. pit — a hole
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. prune — to trim
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — to wash
  24. date — on the calendar

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