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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. object — to protest
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bore — to drill
  12. object — an aim
  13. date — the fruit
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bore — to tire
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. object — a thing

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