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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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. track — a song
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — a position
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rash — a series
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitch — completely
  21. branch — a division
  22. current — electric
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ground — crushed

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