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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: sharp · last · rule · rock · cell · prune · branch · coach

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — a division
  7. rock — music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. last — to go on
  13. rule — a law
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. prune — to trim
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rule — government
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. sharp — clever

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