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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. band — a music group
  5. pass — a permit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — to trim
  10. staff — a stick
  11. craft — a skill
  12. staff — employees
  13. lean — thin
  14. branch — a division
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. craft — boats
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. band — a ring

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