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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — happy
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. object — a thing
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. roll — a list
  9. pass — a permit
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — for sport
  13. content — the amount
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. object — an aim
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. object — to protest
  22. roll — a cake
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pass — to succeed

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