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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. content — the amount
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — to eat
  10. content — happy
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spell — magic
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fall — the season

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