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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 · lie · branch · patient · chair · content · bass · race

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — low music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lie — to recline
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. race — the arms race
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. race — a contest
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lie — an untruth

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