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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.

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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 · file · rule · band · content · field · mug

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mug — to rob
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. file — a document
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. content — the amount
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mug — a face
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. rule — government
  17. mug — a cup
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. field — a subject
  21. rule — a law
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a ring
  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