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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · ground · content · lean · toast · dip · racket · prune

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pop — to visit
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lean — to bend
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lean — thin
  7. content — happy
  8. toast — bread
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ground — crushed
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pop — music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ground — a position
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — the earth
  24. racket — a loud noise

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