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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 120 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: leaves · lean · clip · branch · pit · prune · root · bark

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bark — to shout
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. branch — a division
  6. root — the cause
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lean — to bend
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lean — thin
  15. clip — a video
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pit — in a race
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. branch — of a bank

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