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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mark — a grade
  9. face — to point toward
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pop — soda
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. content — the amount
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stem — to come from
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rush — hurry

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