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

Word bank: stick · content · wound · fall · ground · toast · rock · prune

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — happy
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rock — music
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. toast — bread
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ground — a position
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. fall — the season
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wound — an injury

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