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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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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 · last · chip · mouse · tear · tube · prune · pit

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tube — a container
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tear — from crying
  15. last — to go on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. last — final
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. prune — to trim

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