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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: ruler · racket · bore · kid · branch · prune · leaves · roll

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kid — child
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — to tire
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. roll — a list
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — to tease
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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