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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. firm — steady
  3. bound — tied together
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pound — a weight
  7. scale — in music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. branch — a division
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. firm — a company
  16. press — to push
  17. bound — certain
  18. firm — decided
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tear — from crying

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