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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · land · row · rush · branch · can · club · prune

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. row — a line
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. branch — a division
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — to paddle
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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