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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 116 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 · prune · wax · tear · cabinet · file · bore · kick

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bore — to drill
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. file — a document
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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