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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. court — of law
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chip — to eat
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cold — not warm
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lie — an untruth

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