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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 116 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: cue · content · present · cell · fine · wind · bore · prune

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cell — a phone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fine — all right
  12. cue — a hint
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — the amount
  15. cue — for pool
  16. present — there
  17. content — happy
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — to tire
  22. present — a gift
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — the time now

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