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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. charge — a price
  3. bark — to shout
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. charge — electricity
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. charge — in control
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pop — soda
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. last — finally
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — to visit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. last — final
  24. branch — of a tree

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