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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. content — the amount
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spring — a coil
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — a division
  12. rest — what's left
  13. content — happy
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — low music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — the season
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cap — a lid

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