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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: rock · band · fork · cabinet · bark · sharp · prune · branch

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — a stone
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — a division
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bark — to shout
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rock — music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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