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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. branch — a division
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. clip — for paper
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — for golf
  21. tear — to rip
  22. club — a group
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — from crying

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