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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. foot — a measure
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. branch — a division

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