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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — soda
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — to visit
  6. vault — a safe
  7. swing — in golf
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. season — in sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. lean — thin
  16. swing — to play on
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — the animal
  24. swing — music

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