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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 120 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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — a match
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — help
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. branch — a division
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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