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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. board — to get on
  3. lean — to bend
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. last — finally
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — to go on
  18. board — a committee
  19. lean — thin
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — to rest against

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