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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 · track · branch · field · prune · present · cabinet · fan

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — to keep track
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — a song
  6. branch — a division
  7. club — a group
  8. field — farmland
  9. present — a gift
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. branch — of a bank

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