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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — finally
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. last — final
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pit — in a race
  23. last — to go on
  24. bank — of a river

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