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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: track · branch · mine · prune · field · perch · band · tube

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — for sport
  4. tube — a container
  5. field — farmland
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tube — the underground
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — to keep track
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. field — a subject
  18. band — a ring
  19. track — a path
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. track — a song

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