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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pit — in a race
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. board — to get on
  7. content — the amount
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — a hole
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. shower — to wash
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — rain
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. board — a committee

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