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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — of ice
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — a division
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wake — a trail
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — music
  19. charge — a price
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pop — soda
  23. charge — in control
  24. wound — an injury

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