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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tube — a container
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ball — a great time
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. march — music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. content — the amount
  22. tube — the underground
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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