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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: date · rush · prune · drill · board · bat · rash · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rash — a series
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. board — to get on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — hurry
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. board — a committee
  21. rash — hasty
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — to hurry

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