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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — of a river
  3. dip — to sink
  4. court — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. bank — for money
  7. object — to protest
  8. present — there
  9. bank — for money
  10. prune — to trim
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. object — a thing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — of a king
  18. field — for sport
  19. present — a gift
  20. court — of law
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. object — an aim
  24. present — the time now

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