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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. can — to be able to
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — a group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. swing — in golf
  9. club — for golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — a line
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. content — the amount
  22. row — to paddle
  23. swing — music
  24. content — happy

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