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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.

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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: branch · mark · key · pound · prune · wound · spell · mine

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mark — a trace
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mine — for digging
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. key — in music
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — a division
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. key — the most important part

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