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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. object — an aim
  3. mate — a partner
  4. content — happy
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — of ice
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — of the year
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. object — a thing
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. season — in sport
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cap — a lid
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mate — a friend

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