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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: prune · press · mine · bound · rush · branch · season · current

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bound — tied together
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bound — obliged
  7. press — to push
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rush — hurry
  10. season — in sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. current — electric
  18. branch — a division
  19. current — happening now
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. current — of water
  24. press — newspapers

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