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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: arm · bark · pit · fine · staff · date · tear · rash

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — to shout
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — a series
  18. tear — from crying
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fine — all right
  21. pit — in a race
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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