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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. shower — rain
  10. ground — a position
  11. craft — boats
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. craft — a skill
  21. branch — a division
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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