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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.

Make a worksheet

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: board · coach · root · wind · branch · mine · prune · pop

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a committee
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pop — to visit
  14. root — of a word
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — a division
  17. pop — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — the cause
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — to get on
  24. mine — for digging

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