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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 124 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spell — a short time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rock — music
  5. key — in music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. spell — letters
  8. key — the most important part
  9. roll — a list
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spell — magic
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cell — a phone
  19. key — for a lock
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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