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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 120 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: last · band · hide · bear · fork · perch · branch · prune

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. last — finally
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — to go on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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