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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: press · capital · prune · net · pit · board · game · branch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — to trim
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. net — for catching
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — a division
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — wild animals
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. press — a publisher
  20. net — in sport
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. board — to get on
  24. net — after costs

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