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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. suit — to fit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. capital — money
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. land — a country
  14. club — for dancing
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. club — for golf
  20. suit — clothes
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. club — a group

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