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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. race — the arms race
  8. branch — a division
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — money
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. present — there
  13. last — finally
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. capital — a city
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. last — final
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — humankind
  22. present — a gift
  23. last — to go on
  24. race — a contest

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