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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kick — in football
  10. ground — a position
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ground — crushed
  16. game — a match
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — the earth

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