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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: rash · prune · bear · net · staff · squash · pound · branch

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — to crush
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — a stick
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. net — for catching
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. net — after costs
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. prune — the fruit

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