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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · leaves · branch · club · prune · land · fork · straw

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fork — in a road
  3. land — ground
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. club — for golf
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. land — to come down
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — a country
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. date — the fruit
  24. prune — the fruit

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