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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: hide · lean · prune · content · ground · mark · row · bulb

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. content — happy
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — to paddle
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — a position
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lean — thin
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a line
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a grade

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