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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 120 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: mine · hide · branch · spring · bark · prune · fan · deal

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. branch — a division
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — of water
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. prune — the fruit

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