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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. content — happy
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — after costs
  5. prune — to trim
  6. firm — a company
  7. charge — in control
  8. bark — to shout
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. firm — steady
  11. deal — to handle
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. firm — decided
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. net — for catching
  19. content — the amount
  20. charge — electricity
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. charge — a price

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