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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rash — a series
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. land — a country
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. key — in music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — in a race
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rash — hasty
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — to come down
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pit — a hole
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — of a tree

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