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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. track — a path
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — a division
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. vault — a safe
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wind — moving air
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. branch — of a tree

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