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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: prune · suit · mine · sharp · race · spring · branch · fan

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — for digging
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. suit — to fit
  16. branch — a division
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spring — a coil
  22. suit — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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