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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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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 · rest · wind · root · branch · mark · fan · craft

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. root — the cause
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. craft — boats
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. craft — a skill
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a grade

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