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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. can — to be able to
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. craft — boats
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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