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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. season — of the year
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. deal — to handle
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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