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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. branch — a division
  3. face — to point toward
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wind — moving air
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mark — a trace
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. date — the fruit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mark — a grade
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. squash — the sport

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