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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: pit · squash · scale · wound · arm · date · tear · coach

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — to rip
  3. date — the fruit
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. scale — in music
  6. pit — in a race
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tear — from crying
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tear — from crying
  13. squash — the sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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