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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — the amount
  16. cap — a lid
  17. branch — a division
  18. content — happy
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. prune — to trim
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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