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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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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: pit · kid · leaves · can · prune · last · calf · branch

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. kid — child
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. last — final
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — a tin
  21. pit — in a race
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pit — a hole

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