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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. last — finally
  5. branch — a division
  6. pop — soda
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. land — a country
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bank — for money
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. land — to come down
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bank — for money
  20. pop — to visit
  21. last — to go on
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. last — final
  24. land — ground

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