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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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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 · chair · rock · cue · cell · branch · stick · file

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. file — a document
  4. rock — music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. file — a line of people
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. file — a tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cue — a signal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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