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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: branch · prune · band · jam · face · rest · bark · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — to confront
  5. bore — to drill
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a music group
  9. face — part of the head
  10. band — a ring
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bore — to tire
  18. prune — to trim
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — a division
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. face — to point toward

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