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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 116 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: bowl · prune · branch · craft · bay · net · fan · last

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — to go on
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. net — in sport
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. last — final
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — boats
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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