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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. net — for catching
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stem — to come from
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — happy
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — after costs
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. net — in sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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