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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. branch — a division
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — to crush
  5. kick — in football
  6. bound — certain
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. face — to point toward
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. squash — the sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to confront
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. patient — a sick person

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