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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 120 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — the amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — a gift
  11. key — the most important part
  12. content — happy
  13. key — in music
  14. present — there
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. key — for a lock
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. season — in sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hand — help
  23. present — the time now
  24. leaves — lets stay

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