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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 · field · prune · leaves · net · suit · season · march

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. field — farmland
  4. net — in sport
  5. march — the month
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. field — for sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — of the year
  10. net — for catching
  11. suit — to fit
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. branch — a division
  14. field — a subject
  15. season — in sport
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — in cards
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. prune — to trim

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