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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: rock · branch · straw · prune · staff · date · scale · trunk

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. branch — a division
  5. date — the fruit
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — employees
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rock — a stone
  18. scale — in music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. staff — a stick

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