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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — the amount
  11. track — a song
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bass — low music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. track — a path
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. content — happy

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