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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bat — the animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. foot — a measure
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — of the year
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rush — hurry
  13. season — in sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. fork — in a road
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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