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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. present — a gift
  5. net — for catching
  6. ball — a dance
  7. net — in sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chest — a box
  13. spring — of water
  14. net — after costs
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — there
  17. ground — crushed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — the time now
  21. branch — a division
  22. ball — a great time
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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