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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ball — a great time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. charge — a price
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. tear — to rip
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — a line
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. charge — electricity
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — in control
  23. branch — a division
  24. ball — a dance

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