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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: prune · perch · season · board · spell · dip · branch · fine

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fine — all right
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — of the year
  10. spell — letters
  11. fine — high quality
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spell — a short time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. board — a committee
  20. season — in sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — to get on

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