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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. last — final
  10. field — a subject
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fine — high quality
  13. branch — a division
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. tear — from crying
  17. last — to go on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tear — to rip
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. tear — from crying

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