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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 · saw · deal · march · spell · sharp · staff · tear

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tear — to rip
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — letters
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — a short time
  23. staff — employees
  24. deal — an agreement

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