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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cap — of ice
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — a division
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — a lid
  23. prune — the fruit
  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