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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: trunk · branch · firm · rash · march · club · roll · prune

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. firm — decided
  7. roll — a cake
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. branch — a division
  12. rash — hasty
  13. firm — a company
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — a series
  19. club — for dancing
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — for golf
  22. roll — a list
  23. firm — steady
  24. march — the month

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