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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.

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: sharp · wound · prune · racket · degree · bulb · branch · cell

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bulb — for light
  14. degree — from a university
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wound — an injury
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cell — in biology
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. branch — a division

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