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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: rule · trunk · branch · prune · pit · saw · plane · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rule — a law
  6. plane — a tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rule — government
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. prune — to trim

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