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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · branch · row · prune · trunk · clip · chair

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. row — a line
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. branch — a division
  6. capital — money
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. row — to paddle
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. prune — to trim
  13. capital — a city
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — for paper
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. clip — a video
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. clip — to cut
  24. leaves — to go away

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