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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. spell — letters
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pop — soda
  9. lean — thin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — a short time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stock — goods
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — shares
  23. pop — music
  24. spell — magic

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