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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: ball · tube · bat · branch · prune · stand · bound · file

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — certain
  3. branch — a division
  4. tube — the underground
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. file — a document
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — the animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. file — a tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tube — a container

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