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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. date — the fruit
  21. land — ground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — army training
  24. wax — to grow

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