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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 · degree · prune · fan · bore · bound · drill · club

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bound — obliged
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — army training
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — from a university
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bound — certain
  15. club — a group
  16. branch — a division
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. drill — a practice
  19. degree — an amount
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — for golf
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. drill — the tool
  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