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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. branch — a division
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. content — happy
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rush — hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. lean — thin
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. content — the amount

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