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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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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. toast — bread
  3. branch — a division
  4. kick — in football
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. band — a ring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rest — a break
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a music group
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. band — a rubber band

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