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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: band · branch · suit · club · stock · season · chair · prune

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. band — a music group
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. branch — a division
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — goods
  18. suit — in cards
  19. club — for golf
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. suit — to fit
  22. band — a ring
  23. suit — clothes
  24. branch — of a tree

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