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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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. mine — for digging
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — tied together
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. object — to protest
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — happy
  13. bound — certain
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. object — a thing
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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