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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cue — a signal
  12. race — the arms race
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — a contest
  17. content — happy
  18. race — humankind
  19. content — the amount
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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