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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 124 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: cap · club · branch · prune · tube · mate · net · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. net — after costs
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mate — a partner
  6. branch — a division
  7. club — for dancing
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — a friend
  14. club — for golf
  15. tube — the underground
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — a lid
  20. club — a group
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cap — a hat
  24. prune — the fruit

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