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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: object · wind · prune · mate · bank · branch · spring · cabinet

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. mate — a friend
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. spring — of water
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — to breed
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spring — the season
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — moving air
  21. object — a thing
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a partner

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