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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — the amount
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stem — to come from
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. deal — to handle
  16. content — happy
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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