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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: stick · spring · file · toast · deal · prune · ball · content

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. content — happy
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. file — a tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a great time
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a document
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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