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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: hand · current · prune · season · ground · branch · track · wax

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. current — happening now
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — a division
  5. current — of water
  6. track — to keep track
  7. season — in sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. current — electric
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. track — a path
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. track — a song
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hand — help
  18. season — of the year
  19. hand — in cards
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ground — a position
  23. wax — in the ear
  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