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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: branch · patient · prune · ruler · clip · band · firm · rest

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. firm — a company
  5. clip — for paper
  6. firm — steady
  7. band — a music group
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rest — a break
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — to cut
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. clip — a video
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. firm — decided
  20. band — a ring
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. band — a rubber band
  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