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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. net — in sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. net — for catching
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ball — a dance
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ball — a great time
  17. branch — a division
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bulb — for light
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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