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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rule — government
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. spell — letters
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — magic
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mug — a face
  12. court — of a king
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rule — a law
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. mug — a cup
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mug — to rob
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mine — belonging to me

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