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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: trunk · bowl · mouse · content · sharp · prune · cell · date

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. content — the amount
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. date — the fruit
  24. sharp — clever

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