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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: wake · fork · prune · scale · date · can · chair · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — a tin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. scale — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rest — a break
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. can — to be able to
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chair — a leader
  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