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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: pop · prune · wind · row · current · field · fan · branch

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — farmland
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. field — for sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. branch — a division
  20. pop — soda
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — a subject

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