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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: prune · bound · branch · arm · board · bass · fan · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. branch — a division
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — to get on
  12. bound — tied together
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bass — low music
  15. board — a committee
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lean — to bend
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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