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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bank — of a river
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bank — for money
  7. branch — a division
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. swing — to play on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — soda
  23. spell — letters
  24. pop — to visit

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