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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: temple · fan · prune · rush · drill · spell · pit · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spell — magic
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. prune — to trim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — in a race
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pit — a hole
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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