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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. content — happy
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — to come from
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — a break
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. club — for golf
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rest — what's left
  24. sharp — exactly

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