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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — for money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bank — for money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — happy
  24. charge — electricity

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