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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 · content · band · chip · staff · straw · prune · net

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — a stick
  3. content — the amount
  4. net — after costs
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a ring
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. chip — for betting
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. chip — to eat
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. content — videos and posts

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