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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: mine · race · prune · branch · wake · craft · bowl · rule

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — a division
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. race — humankind
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rule — government
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rule — a law

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