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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · prune · tear · spell · branch · row · pass · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — a short time
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. row — a line
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fine — all right
  14. tear — to rip
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pass — a permit
  17. row — to paddle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spell — letters
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — of a bank
  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