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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. squash — to crush
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cue — a signal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cue — for pool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bank — for money
  16. content — the amount
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — the underground
  22. content — happy
  23. tube — a container
  24. stock — goods

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