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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: prune · branch · stem · cue · bear · court · season · jam

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — of law
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — a division
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. court — of a king
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. court — for sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. bear — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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