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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — a stick
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — of a river
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. staff — employees
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a hole
  16. march — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bank — for money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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