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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — a division
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — in sport
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — after costs
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cell — in biology

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