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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: plane · branch · band · prune · court · bore · pit · current

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. current — of water
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. court — of a king
  6. current — happening now
  7. plane — a tool
  8. current — electric
  9. pit — a hole
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. court — of law
  20. band — a music group
  21. pit — in a race
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bore — to drill

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