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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pop — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — soda
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rock — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wake — a trail
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — to visit
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kick — in football
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — to move gently

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