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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cold — an illness
  9. prune — to trim
  10. club — a group
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. branch — a division
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — a committee
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chair — a leader
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. board — to get on
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. club — for golf

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