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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tear — from crying
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. prune — to trim
  13. race — humankind
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. content — happy
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — to rip
  18. race — a contest
  19. stock — goods
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. tear — from crying

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