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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ground — crushed
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — government
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — a position
  13. content — happy
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. content — the amount
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — to turn a key

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