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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mug — a face
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — to rob
  9. net — after costs
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. net — in sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rule — government
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bark — to shout
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — a cup
  22. net — for catching
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. branch — a division

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