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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: craft · branch · dip · last · squash · leaves · prune · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wound — an injury
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. craft — a skill
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. last — finally
  17. branch — a division
  18. craft — boats
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. squash — to crush
  23. last — final
  24. squash — the sport

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