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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: spring · rash · snap · branch · season · pass · prune · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to click
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pass — a permit
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spring — a coil
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. branch — a division
  23. spring — of water
  24. season — of the year

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