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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bank — for money
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chest — of your body
  7. shower — rain
  8. craft — boats
  9. chest — a box
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. degree — from a university
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. degree — temperature
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. degree — an amount
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bank — for money

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