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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rush — hurry
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — a gift
  5. net — in sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — letters
  19. net — for catching
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. net — after costs
  24. spell — magic

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