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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 · temple · deal · prune · cold · march · craft · fork

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. prune — to trim
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — an illness

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