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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. branch — a division
  3. bank — for money
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bank — for money
  6. pit — in a race
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fork — in a road
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rock — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pit — a hole
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rock — to move gently

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