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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: tube · snap · craft · wake · cabinet · date · ground · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ground — the earth
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — boats
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. tube — the underground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. tube — in a 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