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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: prune · bear · lean · branch · sharp · dip · stand · scale

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. sharp — clever
  7. dip — to sink
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. scale — in music
  20. lean — thin
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — size or range
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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