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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pop — to visit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. vault — a safe
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pop — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — happy
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. drill — army training
  24. prune — the fruit

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