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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: file · rock · prune · kick · pound · march · branch · track

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. branch — a division
  3. kick — in football
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. track — a path
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. march — music
  18. track — a song
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. file — a document
  21. rock — music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. file — a tool
  24. prune — to trim

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