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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. land — ground
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — a division
  6. race — humankind
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — to come down
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. land — a country
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — a cup
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. prune — the fruit

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