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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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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: suit · wind · leaves · cell · prune · foot · branch · pass

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. foot — a measure
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — a division
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. suit — clothes
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pass — a permit
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. suit — in cards
  24. foot — the bottom

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