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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. tear — to rip
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — a committee
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. board — to get on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — a position
  23. bear — the animal
  24. key — in 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