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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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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: branch · arm · prune · bound · race · season · rock · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bound — obliged
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — certain
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. tear — from crying
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — in sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bound — tied together
  13. branch — a division
  14. tear — to rip
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — music
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rock — a stone
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — humankind
  24. branch — of a bank

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