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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mug — a face
  4. track — a path
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — a division
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. track — to keep track
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — a song
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. lash — an eyelash

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