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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kid — child
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitch — completely
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. branch — of a bank

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