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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — happy
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bass — low music
  16. content — the amount
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bear — the animal
  24. face — to confront

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