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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: prune · bulb · board · branch · fan · club · spring · bark

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. board — to get on
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — of water
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — the season
  9. bark — to shout
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. board — a committee
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. club — a group
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  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