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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: content · season · leaves · prune · mark · wound · sharp · bay

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mark — a trace
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. season — in sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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