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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: prune · dip · row · trunk · branch · pitch · mine · object

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. dip — to sink
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. object — to protest

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