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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — for catching
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mate — to breed
  11. root — the cause
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. branch — a division
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — of the year
  23. can — to be able to
  24. season — in sport

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