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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 · pitcher · wake · craft · prune · spring · racket · straw

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spring — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — boats
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — a division
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. branch — of a bank

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