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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 124 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: game · tear · prune · ball · stand · branch · dip · spell

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. branch — a division
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — a match
  11. spell — magic
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stand — to bear
  24. game — a kind of play

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