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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: lean · swing · land · fan · branch · prune · foot · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — a division
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. swing — in golf
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. swing — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — a measure
  16. swing — to play on
  17. last — finally
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lean — thin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — a country
  23. last — final
  24. land — to come down

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