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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.

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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: temple · prune · pop · march · branch · stand · foot · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wind — moving air
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. foot — a measure
  11. march — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. march — the month
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pop — to visit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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