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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 124 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — a phone
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cell — in biology
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pass — a permit
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. object — a thing
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. object — to protest
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — a division
  21. stock — goods
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. object — an aim
  24. pass — to spend time

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