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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 · pitch · bear · spell · rule · shower · prune · nail

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. spell — magic
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rule — government
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rule — a law
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — letters
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. date — on the calendar

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