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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: branch · straw · hide · craft · prune · band · field · mouse

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. field — farmland
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. craft — boats
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. band — a ring
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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