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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rule — a law
  4. row — a line
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — the amount
  8. branch — a division
  9. key — in music
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cue — for pool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — happy
  18. key — the most important part
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. perch — the fish
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rule — government

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