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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · racket · bore · shower · kid · pass · track

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bore — to tire
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. shower — rain
  8. kid — to tease
  9. track — to keep track
  10. shower — to wash
  11. track — a song
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bore — to drill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. track — a path
  23. branch — a division
  24. kid — child

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