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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kick — in football
  8. fine — all right
  9. branch — a division
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. spell — a short time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fine — high quality
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. net — for catching
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. content — happy

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