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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. content — happy
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bass — the fish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — a container
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mug — a face
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — in music
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. suit — clothes
  23. content — the amount
  24. tube — the underground

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