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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — to wash
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — to breed
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. branch — a division
  13. bass — low music
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fine — all right
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fine — high quality
  22. firm — decided
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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