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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · jam · land · prune · roll · cell · pitch · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — a country
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. roll — a list
  7. land — to come down
  8. cell — a phone
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. content — the amount
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. land — ground
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. prune — the fruit

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