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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 · fall · fine · branch · chair · nail · stock · pass

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stock — goods
  17. prune — to trim
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fall — the season
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stock — shares

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