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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — to trim
  6. march — the month
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. can — a tin
  11. stem — to come from
  12. content — the amount
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stock — goods
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. content — happy
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. march — music
  22. stock — shares
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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