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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · clip · bank · content · trunk · prune · bark · lie

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. content — happy
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bank — for money
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bark — to shout
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lie — to recline
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — the amount
  24. clip — a video

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