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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: sharp · last · ball · board · foot · hand · prune · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. board — a committee
  3. prune — to trim
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — in cards
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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