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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 116 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. court — for sport
  3. pound — a weight
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. branch — a division
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of law
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. content — happy
  12. court — of a king
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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