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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: club · staff · squash · fan · branch · face · prune · charge

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. face — to confront
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — part of the head
  6. charge — a price
  7. club — a group
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. prune — to trim
  10. branch — a division
  11. club — for dancing
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. charge — electricity
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. club — for golf
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — in control
  23. staff — employees
  24. face — to point toward

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