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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — for money
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — for money
  12. drill — army training
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — of a river
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — to handle
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — help
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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