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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stock — goods
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cap — a hat
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — a division
  17. fine — high quality
  18. key — the most important part
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fine — all right
  24. cap — of ice

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