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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cold — an illness
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — a grade
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stock — shares
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. prune — the fruit

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