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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: trunk · prune · leaves · present · roll · bark · spell · branch

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. present — a gift
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — a division
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spell — letters
  16. present — the time now
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. present — there
  20. spell — magic
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spell — a short time
  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