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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. date — the fruit
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. content — the amount
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fine — high quality
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. content — happy
  23. drill — army training
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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