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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: fan · branch · pitcher · chair · drill · pit · lie · prune

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — to recline
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — army training
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — a division
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pit — a hole

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