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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — the amount
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — finally
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — final
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — to go on
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. content — happy

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