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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 116 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cell — a phone
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. squash — to crush
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fine — all right
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. branch — a division

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