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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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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 · fan · bank · roll · stock · march · branch · land

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stock — goods
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. roll — a cake
  10. land — a country
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stock — shares
  15. bank — of a river
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. land — ground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. roll — a list
  24. bank — for money

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