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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. scale — size or range
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. press — to push
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. content — happy
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. press — newspapers
  16. scale — in music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. content — the amount
  22. dip — to sink
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. dip — a sauce

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