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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wax · last · branch · kick · ruler · stock · pitcher · prune

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — a division
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wax — to grow
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stock — shares
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — goods
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. last — finally
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. last — final

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