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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to click
  10. fine — all right
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — for digging

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