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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bulb — for light
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kid — child
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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