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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spell — magic
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — a division
  19. spell — letters
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ball — a great time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. branch — of a bank

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