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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. firm — steady
  3. object — a thing
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. file — a tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. object — to protest
  9. firm — a company
  10. prune — to trim
  11. object — an aim
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ground — crushed
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. sharp — clever
  19. file — a document
  20. ground — the earth
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — a position
  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