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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — to come down
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — for digging
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — a country
  11. file — a tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mate — a partner
  18. content — the amount
  19. land — ground
  20. mate — a friend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — happy
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mine — belonging to me

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