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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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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: row · prune · mate · bear · content · deal · band · object

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. object — an aim
  3. row — to paddle
  4. band — a ring
  5. mate — a friend
  6. prune — to trim
  7. content — the amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. object — a thing
  13. mate — a partner
  14. object — to protest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. content — happy
  21. mate — to breed
  22. row — a line
  23. band — a music group
  24. bear — to put up with

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