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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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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: ball · branch · rush · lean · prune · field · bass · season

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lean — thin
  11. field — a subject
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a round shape

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