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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. branch — a division
  5. content — the amount
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. can — a tin
  10. content — happy
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — in sport
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fork — in a road
  24. season — of the year

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