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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. last — final
  17. branch — a division
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. squash — the sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bore — to drill

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