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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. lean — thin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. branch — a division
  8. track — a path
  9. face — to confront
  10. lean — to bend
  11. track — a song
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. face — part of the head

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