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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: staff · branch · prune · cue · toast · chair · wound · court

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wound — an injury
  7. staff — employees
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — a division
  16. cue — a signal
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cue — a hint
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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