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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 · ball · content · shower · safe · tear · deal · tube

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. tube — the underground
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tube — a container
  15. tear — from crying
  16. deal — to handle
  17. tear — to rip
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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