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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: prune · leaves · branch · season · cue · row · lash · wake

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. row — a line
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — for pool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. season — of the year
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cue — a signal
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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