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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. charge — a price
  5. race — a contest
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — humankind
  8. spring — a coil
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. prune — to trim
  13. charge — in control
  14. branch — a division
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. spring — of water
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — electricity
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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