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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: season · calf · content · bark · charge · band · prune · face

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. face — part of the head
  3. band — a ring
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a music group
  8. bark — to shout
  9. charge — a price
  10. face — to point toward
  11. charge — electricity
  12. content — happy
  13. season — in sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — of the year
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. face — to confront
  23. charge — in control
  24. prune — to trim

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