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

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cold — not warm
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — there
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. present — a gift
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cap — a lid
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. present — the time now
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cold — an illness
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. craft — boats
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. branch — a division
  24. craft — a skill

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