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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. date — the fruit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a path
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. content — the amount
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. roll — a list
  15. prune — to trim
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. key — for a lock
  20. content — happy
  21. march — music
  22. track — a song
  23. roll — a cake
  24. date — on the calendar

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