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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: kid · content · branch · bark · ball · can · prune · ground

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. content — the amount
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bark — to shout
  7. ground — crushed
  8. can — a tin
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. content — happy
  15. ground — a position
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ball — a dance
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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