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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 116 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 · season · pitcher · bass · bear · vault · branch · prune

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. vault — a safe
  10. prune — to trim
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. bass — the fish
  16. branch — a division
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — the animal

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