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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: mark · branch · nail · cabinet · date · prune · patient · trunk

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — the fruit
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — a grade
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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