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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — a division
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. track — a song
  11. can — to be able to
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. march — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — a path
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. march — the month
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a tree

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