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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. scale — size or range
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. charge — in control
  9. pop — music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. charge — electricity
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. charge — a price
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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