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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. present — a gift
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. present — there
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. branch — a division
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — crushed
  20. track — a path
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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