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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bass — the fish
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bass — low music
  23. branch — of a tree
  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