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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · saw · branch · wound · game · dip · prune · rule

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rule — government
  3. game — a match
  4. prune — to trim
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rule — a law
  8. wound — an injury
  9. saw — the tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. toast — bread
  16. saw — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. branch — a division
  21. wound — an injury
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. game — wild animals
  24. toast — the most admired

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