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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. content — the amount
  3. stem — to come from
  4. content — happy
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. last — finally
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. last — to go on
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — final
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stem — a stem cell

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