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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. content — happy
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. march — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. degree — an amount
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stem — to come from
  20. degree — temperature
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — the amount

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