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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: mark · bulb · prune · date · cold · pass · chip · present

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. present — a gift
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. present — the time now
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — to trim
  8. date — the fruit
  9. present — there
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. chip — for betting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. prune — to trim

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