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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · object · scale · bore · wind · leaves · content · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. scale — in music
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. object — to protest
  9. scale — size or range
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. content — the amount
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. object — an aim
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — moving air

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