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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ground — the earth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. prune — to trim
  13. court — of law
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. ground — crushed
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mine — for digging

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