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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mug · prune · straw · key · land · mate · lean

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mate — a friend
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — in music
  8. land — ground
  9. key — for a lock
  10. mug — to rob
  11. land — to come down
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mate — a partner
  15. land — a country
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lean — thin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mate — to breed
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lean — to bend
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mug — a face

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