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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 116 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: bound · leaves · scale · branch · prune · wound · bat · current

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bound — obliged
  3. scale — in music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bound — certain
  6. current — electric
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. current — happening now
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. current — of water
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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