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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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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: shower · prune · rock · last · spell · content · board · mark

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. shower — to wash
  7. last — finally
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spell — letters
  10. content — the amount
  11. rock — a stone
  12. board — to get on
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. content — happy
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. last — final
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rock — music
  21. mark — a grade
  22. spell — a short time
  23. shower — rain
  24. board — a committee

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