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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: branch · toast · ruler · chair · prune · clip · fall · pitcher

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. branch — a division
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — a leader
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. clip — to cut
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. toast — bread
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. toast — the most admired

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