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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: file · branch · pass · wave · prune · press · capital · deal

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. press — a publisher
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. press — to push
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. capital — a city
  8. branch — a division
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. file — a document
  19. pass — a permit
  20. file — a tool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. file — a line of people
  23. press — newspapers
  24. deal — to handle

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