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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 120 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: can · perch · branch · fan · prune · stick · squash · track

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. squash — the sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. prune — to trim
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — to trim
  13. perch — the fish
  14. squash — to crush
  15. can — a tin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — to be able to
  18. track — a song
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a path
  21. branch — a division
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. perch — for a bird

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