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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: cabinet · branch · charge · mate · pitcher · bound · prune · bat

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. charge — electricity
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. charge — in control
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. charge — a price

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