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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. content — the amount
  5. rest — a break
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. net — for catching
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — to handle
  15. content — happy
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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