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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 a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. firm — decided
  3. spring — the season
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. firm — steady
  9. ground — a position
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. firm — a company
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. can — a tin
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — the amount

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