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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · mate · rock · season · cabinet · track · branch · prune

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rock — music
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. track — a path
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — of a tree

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