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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: bear · ball · last · current · saw · prune · branch · cabinet

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. current — happening now
  8. ball — a great time
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. branch — a division
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ball — a round shape

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