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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pop — music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mate — to breed
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spell — letters
  12. pop — soda
  13. branch — a division
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fall — the season
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  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