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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. content — the amount
  3. toast — bread
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — a cake
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a great time
  18. roll — a list
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. roll — on a roll
  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