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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: pitcher · prune · chair · stick · branch · track · mine · fan

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. branch — a division
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a path
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chair — a leader
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — for digging
  23. track — to keep track
  24. prune — to trim

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