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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: rule · prune · key · object · cell · hide · hand · branch

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — in music
  5. object — to protest
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. hand — in cards
  8. object — an aim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rule — a law
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. object — a thing
  16. rule — government
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cell — a phone
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. branch — a division

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