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

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. clip — for paper
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — to shout
  7. degree — an amount
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. board — to get on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. content — happy
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. clip — to cut
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. content — the amount
  19. prune — to trim
  20. board — a committee
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — a video
  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