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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — a division
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mug — a face
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. land — to come down
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cue — a signal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cue — for pool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. land — ground
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mug — to rob
  24. land — a country

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