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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mug — a face
  6. last — finally
  7. stand — to bear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mug — to rob
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — child
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kid — to tease
  21. last — to go on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — final
  24. branch — of a tree

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