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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: land · can · perch · rush · prune · date · pitcher · row

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. can — a tin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. land — ground
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. can — to be able to
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. date — the fruit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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