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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: club · cold · date · bore · pop · deal · prune · perch

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bore — to drill
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pop — to visit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. club — a group
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. club — for golf
  16. pop — soda
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pop — music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bore — to tire

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