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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: firm · cabinet · straw · court · prune · branch · clip · lean

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. firm — a company
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. court — of a king
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. court — of law
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lean — to bend
  17. firm — steady
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. firm — decided
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lean — thin
  24. court — for 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