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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. prune — to trim
  12. craft — a skill
  13. content — happy
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — government
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. content — the amount
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — a division
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rule — a law
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tube — a container

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