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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. present — there
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — a division
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. present — a gift
  13. field — farmland
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — to trim
  16. net — after costs
  17. present — the time now
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — music
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. march — the month
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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