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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · wound · lie · bear · branch · fine · prune · staff

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. content — happy
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. staff — employees
  7. branch — a division
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bear — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — the amount
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — high quality
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. staff — a stick

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