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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · prune · branch · lash · field · track · squash · bowl

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. object — to protest
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. object — an aim
  10. squash — to crush
  11. prune — to trim
  12. field — a subject
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — a division
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. track — a path
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. object — a thing
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. field — for sport

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