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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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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: bore · court · foot · rush · firm · branch · cold · prune

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. firm — decided
  7. bore — to tire
  8. foot — a measure
  9. firm — a company
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cold — an illness
  14. court — of a king
  15. bore — to drill
  16. court — of law
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — a division
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cold — not warm
  22. court — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. firm — steady

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