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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: kid · branch · prune · rule · fan · mate · wax · foot

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. rule — a law
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. kid — child
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kid — to tease
  10. prune — to trim
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mate — to breed
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. foot — a measure
  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