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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. branch — a division
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lean — to bend
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. lean — thin
  12. pop — music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pop — soda
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — to visit
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. object — an aim
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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