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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. content — the amount
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. content — happy
  7. can — a tin
  8. roll — a cake
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — a trail
  20. drill — army training
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — to be able to
  23. prune — to trim
  24. roll — a list

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