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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. track — to keep track
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. track — a song
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — a path
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bank — for money

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