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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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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: band · leaves · court · branch · arm · prune · dip · track

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. track — a path
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of law
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to sink
  22. branch — a division
  23. track — a song
  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