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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: date · face · prune · saw · march · sharp · racket · cap

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. date — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — part of the head
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. march — the month
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — the month
  21. face — to confront
  22. cap — of ice
  23. face — to point toward
  24. racket — for tennis

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