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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. swing — in golf
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. swing — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. march — the month
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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