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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — the underground
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tube — a container
  9. rush — hurry
  10. content — happy
  11. craft — boats
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mate — to breed
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — the amount
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rush — to hurry

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