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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. content — happy
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. net — after costs
  11. current — of water
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — electric
  17. content — the amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. current — happening now
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bark — to shout

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