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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 120 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: present · season · branch · bore · scale · wake · prune · pop

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. present — a gift
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pop — music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wake — a trail
  10. branch — a division
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pop — to visit
  13. present — there
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. season — of the year
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pop — soda
  22. present — the time now
  23. scale — in music
  24. season — in 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