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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. land — a country
  3. pop — music
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. foot — a measure
  8. branch — a division
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — the amount
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. land — ground
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. content — happy
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chest — a box

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