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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — in sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — a series
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. branch — a division
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rash — on the skin

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