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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: capital · bound · plane · branch · prune · cabinet

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. capital — money
  7. bound — certain
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — obliged
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. capital — a city
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. prune — to trim

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