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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. object — a thing
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. object — an aim
  12. bank — of a river
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — to protest
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cold — an illness

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