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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: lash · field · branch · chest · mate · file · jam · prune

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. field — a subject
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. file — a line of people
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a document
  15. chest — a box
  16. prune — to trim
  17. field — for sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a tool
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. field — farmland
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chest — of your body

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