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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: branch · bass · tube · firm · pound · prune · can · straw

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pound — a weight
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bass — low music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — a tin
  10. bass — the fish
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tube — a container
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. branch — a division
  19. firm — steady
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. firm — decided
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. can — a tin

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