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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: cell · saw · bound · arm · clip · rush · branch · prune

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bound — certain
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — obliged
  12. branch — a division
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. clip — a video
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rush — to hurry

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