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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — there
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — to drop
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. plane — a tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. fall — the season
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — clever
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — low music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bass — the fish

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