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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — electric
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pit — a hole
  11. current — of water
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pit — in a race
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — a division
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. prune — to trim
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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