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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rash — hasty
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — the sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — a series
  12. tube — the underground
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. tube — a container
  21. branch — a division
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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