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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: kick · prune · arm · can · branch · wake · track · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mine — for digging
  4. can — to be able to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. can — a tin
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. track — a path
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. prune — the fruit

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