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

Word bank: track · fork · shower · content · prune · cell · cue · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cell — a phone
  3. shower — rain
  4. content — the amount
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. track — to keep track
  9. shower — to wash
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. track — a path
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. track — a song
  19. content — happy
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cue — a signal

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