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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 116 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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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: current · stem · pop · club · kick · prune · branch · band

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. current — electric
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. band — a music group
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. band — a ring
  9. club — a group
  10. branch — a division
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — happening now
  14. kick — in football
  15. club — for dancing
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — soda
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. current — of water
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. branch — of a tree

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