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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — the amount
  3. staff — employees
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bark — to shout
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. content — happy
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. prune — to trim

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