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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. net — in sport
  11. pop — music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — letters
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — for catching
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mate — a friend
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — magic
  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