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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — the season
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — in sport
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — a division
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — for catching
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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