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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rash — hasty
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rash — a series
  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