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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · roll · prune · tube · toast · current · date · tear

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. current — electric
  4. mine — for digging
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. roll — a list
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. tube — the underground
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — happening now
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. roll — a cake
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. current — of water
  22. date — the fruit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. toast — bread

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