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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 120 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: patient · prune · cue · land · trunk · branch · mouse · lie

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. land — a country
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cue — a signal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lie — to recline
  16. land — ground
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. branch — a division
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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