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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of a king
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bound — certain
  14. branch — a division
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. court — of law
  18. last — finally
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — music
  21. last — to go on
  22. bound — tied together
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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