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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: chest · track · rush · prune · lie · file · date · club

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. club — for dancing
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a document
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. track — a path
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — a group
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a line of people
  16. date — the fruit
  17. track — a song
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chest — a box
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. file — a tool

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