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

Word bank: fall · stand · branch · bay · mouse · prune · content · bear

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stand — to bear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. branch — a division
  9. fall — to drop
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. content — the amount
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. fall — to drop
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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