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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — the season
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — a coil
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — of water
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mark — a trace
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. suit — to fit
  18. swing — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. swing — in golf
  22. root — of a word
  23. suit — clothes
  24. branch — a division

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