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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. branch — a division
  6. cell — a phone
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chip — for betting
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — the amount
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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