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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: prune · pitcher · pop · court · wake · row · chip · branch

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — for sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — of law
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of a king
  9. branch — a division
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — a line
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — a trail
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pop — music
  24. row — a quarrel

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