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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. board — a committee
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. board — to get on
  21. branch — a division
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — to trim

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