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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — a division
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — a contest
  24. branch — of a bank

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