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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. squash — the sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. field — a subject
  7. row — to paddle
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. field — farmland
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. row — a line
  24. wind — moving air

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