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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cell — in biology
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ground — a position
  10. content — the amount
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ground — the earth
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. content — happy
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — with an edge

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