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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. branch — a division
  3. suit — clothes
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. suit — to fit
  11. row — a line
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — to shout
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kick — in football
  17. suit — in cards
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pitch — a sports field

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