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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. tear — to rip
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wake — a trail
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — happy
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — before a funeral

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