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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: prune · temple · pitch · content · mouse · cap · spell · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — magic
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — happy
  9. spell — letters
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cap — a hat
  14. content — the amount
  15. spell — a short time
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — completely
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cap — of ice

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