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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. tube — a container
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spell — a short time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — a division
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stem — to come from

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