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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a great time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ball — a dance
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. present — the time now
  8. pass — a permit
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. craft — boats
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. present — a gift
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — there
  23. shower — rain
  24. pass — to spend time

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