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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. plane — a tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — certain
  5. ground — a position
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. snap — to click
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — obliged
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — happy
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ground — the earth
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. ground — crushed
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. nail — for a hammer

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