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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 116 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: pitcher · file · branch · prune · hand · trunk · kid · current

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — help
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — child
  16. current — of water
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — to trim
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hand — in cards
  21. current — happening now
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kid — to tease
  24. branch — of a bank

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