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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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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: prune · mate · cabinet · content · bat · can · branch · stick

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. branch — a division
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — a tin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — the amount
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mate — a friend
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. content — happy
  22. mate — a partner
  23. branch — of a tree
  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