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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. content — happy
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. net — after costs
  7. branch — a division
  8. plane — a tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a round shape

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