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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: branch · calf · snap · hand · foot · prune

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to click
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. foot — a measure
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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