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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spring — the season
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — the fish
  8. field — for sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — a subject
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — magic
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. spell — letters
  21. content — the amount
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. field — farmland
  24. staff — a stick

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