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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. prune — to trim
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. plane — a tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — in cards
  11. charge — a price
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. squash — to crush
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — help
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — happy
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. charge — in control

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