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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: prune · fan · pit · trunk · bear · saw · date · sharp

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — in a race
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. trunk — of a tree

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