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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: wound · fine · prune · date · press · content · fan · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. press — to push
  3. content — happy
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — all right
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. date — the fruit
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fine — high quality
  21. branch — a division
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. content — the amount

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