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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: cue · rest · charge · straw · branch · prune · row · shower

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — rain
  5. cue — for pool
  6. charge — a price
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. charge — in control
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. charge — electricity
  21. row — to paddle
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cue — a signal

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