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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — happy
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — the amount
  15. field — a subject
  16. band — a music group
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. deal — to handle
  19. field — for sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — all right
  24. band — a rubber band

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