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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 120 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: land · branch · prune · season · wave · leaves · saw · pop

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. land — a country
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — in sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. branch — a division
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pop — to visit
  14. season — of the year
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. prune — to trim
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pop — music
  24. land — ground

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