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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: date · prune · lash · game · can · club · lean · branch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. game — a match
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. can — to be able to
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. club — for golf
  12. branch — a division
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. can — a tin
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. date — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. club — for dancing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — a group
  24. lean — thin

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