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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. race — humankind
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mine — for digging
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fall — the season
  11. race — a contest
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — farmland
  14. club — a group
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. club — for golf
  18. branch — a division
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. deal — to handle
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — the arms race

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