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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: content · hand · prune · bear · saw · fine · pass · land

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. land — a country
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — happy
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fine — all right
  17. content — the amount
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — help
  24. land — ground

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