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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: branch · stock · spell · present · fan · jam · perch · prune

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — goods
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spell — letters
  6. stock — shares
  7. present — there
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. present — the time now
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. present — a gift
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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