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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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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: deal · scale · charge · branch · prune · content · land · fork

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. content — happy
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. charge — a price
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. land — a country
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — to come down
  12. charge — in control
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fork — in a road
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. charge — electricity
  18. land — ground
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. branch — of a tree

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