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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — moving air
  7. present — the time now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — there
  10. deal — to handle
  11. branch — a division
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. present — a gift
  24. date — on the calendar

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