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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: mark · board · prune · content · date · spell · craft · patient

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — the fruit
  5. content — happy
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — a skill
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mark — a trace
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mark — a grade
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. board — to get on
  17. craft — boats
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. content — the amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — letters
  23. prune — to trim
  24. board — a committee

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