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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 · bulb · ground · prune · date · snap · mouse · wound

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pit — in a race
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ground — crushed
  9. snap — to click
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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