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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: prune · pitcher · branch · cabinet · fan · mine · squash · mug

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — a cup
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mug — a face
  24. mine — for digging

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