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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — the underground
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. tube — a container
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stock — shares
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stock — goods
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — certain
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bound — tied together
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. lie — to recline

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