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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pop — soda
  3. sharp — clever
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pop — music
  6. band — a music group
  7. net — for catching
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a ring
  11. pop — to visit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — after costs
  16. can — to be able to
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — happy
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — the amount
  24. patient — a sick person

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