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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spell — letters
  3. prune — to trim
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — a short time
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — newspapers
  17. kid — child
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — to push
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. press — a publisher

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